Acute necrotizing encephalopathy due to SARS-CoV-2 in a pregnant female

Excerpt

Acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) is typically a parainfectious phenomenon most commonly described in children and associated with viral infections such as influenza A. It is associated with a nonspecific clinical presentation, often with alteration in mental status occurring about 12 to 72 h after a viral illness, and imaging often displays symmetric thalamic lesions with edema, petechial hemorrhage, and necrosis [1]. Three cases of ANE have been reported in association with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and there are no reported cases of ANE occurring in pregnancy [2‐4]. Treatment is with immunomodulating therapy and, if started early, can improve outcomes [5]. …